Application Guidelines for 2017 Overseas
Youth English Teaching Volunteer Service Program in Taiwan

APPLICATION PERIODThe registration period for the 2017 A.I.D. Summer Program will be from January 28, 2017 to February 28, 2017. Online registration opens on January 25, 2017 and prospective volunteers can begin the process on that date by creating an account and uploading all required documents. Once all documents have been uploaded, applicants must assemble and mail in a physical application package to their nearest Chinese Culture Center. Culture Center offices will accept the physical application packages from February 1 to February 28, 2017.《Application packages must be received by the registration offices on or before March 1. 》

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

The program will be held from July 1 to July 29, 2017. There are 440 volunteer spots available this year including a Hakka group for 70 descendants of Hakka people. Volunteers will participate in training courses during the first week then teach English at one of various remote schools during the second and third weeks. The Hakka group will be specifically assigned to different schools located in Hakka culture-concentrated areas. A tour of various areas of Taiwan will be conducted during the last week.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPLICATION（1）Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 25 (as shown on passport) by November 30, 2017, and must currently reside in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, or Belize.
（2）Applicants must currently be in 11th grade or higher; applicants in higher grades of study will be preferred.
（3）English must be the applicant’s native language.
（4）The applicant must be in good health.
（5）The applicant must be highly motivated and have basic communication capability of spoken Mandarin.
（6）The applicant must have never participated in any previous A.I.D Summer or Winter programs.
（7）The Hakka group participants must be recommended by authorized Hakka organizations.
（8）The program is recommended for applicants of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, but some openings are available for non-expatriate youths who are advocates of Taiwan.

PROGRAM INFORMATION（1）Each participant will be arranged to serve at one of various remote schools after completing the training courses.
（2）Program participants will be assisting elementary or junior high school students at these schools.
（3）The volunteers will teach English with a self-designed lesson plan.
（4）Meals will be comprised of mainly Chinese food.
（5）Accommodations: 4 to 6 people per room, separated by gender.
（6）Participants must serve for the entire duration of the program with exceptions made for health complications or other unexpected conditions. OCAC will issue a certificate of 80 service hours printed both in Chinese and English to those who have finished the whole program.
（7）Participants are required to submit a reflection essay at the end of the program. OCAC will reward a memorial program DVD to those who submit their reflections and revise their original teaching plans.

APPLICATION LOCATIONSPlease apply through Taipei Economic and Cultural / Representative Offices in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and Belize or their affiliated Cultural Centers (see the registration office page for the detailed addresses). Application forms can be obtained at the above offices or downloaded online at the website of OCAC / expatriate youth activities (www.ocac.gov.tw) or the program website (www.aidsummer.net). Please submit the completed application package, the application form including other required documents as detailed in “Application Procedures”, to the above office nearest your permanent address by March 1, 2017.

SUBMISSION OPTIONSSubmit the application package personally or by mail

APPLICATION PROCEDURES（1）The following documents (the application package) must be submitted by mail to the Cultural Center nearest your permanent address:
a) Application form (see the attachment for a sample)
b) Internet Registration Sheet (aka a printout of the confirmation page after finishing online registration).
c) Signed General Regulations sheet (see the attachment)
d) A copy of the applicant’s passport, insurance card and birth certificate
e) A 1½ inch photo taken within six months of the date of submission adhered to the application form
f) Personal Data Consent Form and personal essay
g) Unofficial transcript (including all cumulative grades from the institute(s) of your highest level of education).
（2）Along with the application package that you must mail yourself, you must also order an official transcript from your school. Have the school mail the transcript directly to the same Cultural Center where you sent your application package.
（3）Online registration will open starting January 15, 2017 or earlier at the website (www.aidsummer.net). The applicant should create an account online to fill in their personal information and upload an autobiography or essay, a copy of their transcript, a personal photo, and a copy of the completed application form. After completing the online registration procedures, print out the portfolio page (Internet Registration Sheet) and submit it with the above mentioned documents as part of the application package to the Taipei Economic and Cultural / Representative Offices or one of the affiliated Cultural Centers nearest your permanent address. See the registration office page for a list of detailed addresses. Do not mail the health form with your application package. You will be instructed to complete the form only after you are admitted to the program.
（4）Your admission status with the program will be posted to your online account on the website (www.aidsummer.net) around the beginning of April, 2017. Those admitted should confirm attendance of the program online, then, within the next 14 days, have their family doctor complete the Health Form included here, upload a copy of the signed certificate onto their account, and mail the original to the same Taipei Economic and Cultural / Representative Offices or Cultural Center where the application package was sent. If the applicant decides not to participate in the program, he/she should log in to the website and mark “Decline” in his/her personal account as early as possible. Those who decide to participate are required to provide their arrival flight information online with a copy of their purchased airline ticket and submit a request for airport pick-up if necessary, all before May 15, 2017. The conditional admission may be automatically withdrawn without the required information being uploaded on time.

PROGRAM FEES* For the duration of the program, the sponsors will pay for the meals, accommodations and group transportation in Taiwan. The sponsors will also provide NT$4,000,000 travel insurance and NT$400,000 medical insurance.
* The participant must pay the following expenses:
（1）Round-trip air fares from the country of residence to Taiwan.
（2）Personal medical expenses exceeding the insurance’s coverage.
（3）Accommodation and other expenses if the participant arrives earlier or leaves later.

VISAThe program will last for 28 days. The participant should contact the nearby Taipei Economic and Cultural / Representative Offices beforehand to apply for a proper visa. Visa Exempt Entry and Landing Visa are NOT appropriate for any stay over its maximum duration allowance depending on their passport. (For example, USA and Canada are on the 90-days Visa Waiver Country list.) The OCAC and program organizer will not be held responsible for any inconvenience that may be caused if the participant’s visa is expired or otherwise incorrect.

IMPORTANT NOTICEAdmitted applicants can not request specific hosting school assignments and must not take break or leave the program for visiting relatives, friends, or personal matters. The program sponsors have the right to withdraw certificates of volunteer service if volunteers do not fully participate in all activities assigned in the first three weeks, follow the hosting school’s rules, and/or fulfill their responsibilities to the program. Exceptions will be made in cases of emergency and/or hospitalization.